You would have had to be in hibernation for the last five months to avoid the hype around "Star Wars: Episode I --The Phantom Menace," but if you allow me, it is worth all the hype! Surprisingly, yes, there was a press screening for it --otherwise with the amount of box-office draw, I probably wouldn't have seen it until August or September. The screening was very secretive and had many rules surrounding it. Once we were admitted into the theater, our serial-numbered pass (registered strictly under our name) was taken as we proceeded down a uninterceptible hallway where our names were checked off from several different lists. The last element towards making your way into the actual auditorium, was to have your hand stamped with an ink readable only via florescent light. But regardless, all of this elaboration and secrecy added an extra dimension of excitement to the ordeal.

"Episode I" starts off the the actual beginning of the already initiated "Star Wars" series that is still so widely beloved today. Throughout a system of stars is an organized galaxy calling itself the Trade Federation. One of the stars in that system is known as Naboo, and is ruled by Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman), and when the film opens, Jedi Masters Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) are landing on another star within the solar system to negotiate between the feuding stars. Instructed by their senator, the aliens attempt to kill the Jedis, but manage to invade Naboo. The queen and her subjects are imprisoned until Qui-Gon and Obi-Won return to free them. Together they barely escape in one of their spacecrafts, but during the deadly escape, the ship is badly damaged.

In desperate need of repairs, they land on the (familiar) planet/star Tatooine --which does not belong to the Federation. Qui-Gon, Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), Padme (Portman again) --the queen's assistant-- and R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) leave the ship to look for the needed replacement parts. During their expedition, they run across a young slave boy named Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd). He helps them with their search, and in return, eventually they are able to free him. Qui-Gon senses something from Anakin, a similar distinct traces of a Jedi trait. Believing Anakin to be the Chosen One, Qui-Gon brings him to the Committee to be tested. But none to our surprise, Yoda (Frank Oz) feels that Anakin's prevalent fear will eventually lead him to the "dark side." And in the old fashioned way, not just of "Star Wars" movies, "The Phantom Menace" develops into a battle of Good vs. Evil --to be played out over the next two prequels as well.

I've been waiting for some movie --any movie-- to cripple "Titanic's" record gross, and this is the perfect movie to do it!

I don't know if "Episode I" contained as many individual visual effects as "Pleasantville," but apparently this was the first movie to have certain scenes completely generated by computer graphics, of course not counting fully C-G animated movies like "Toy Story." This, being the precursor of the other films, greatly sets up or matches the way the story prevails and proceeds. Lucas has a knack for making enjoyable movies with elements that can appeal to the bevies en masse, so the family can find entertainment like this easily accordant. Lucas, who scripts and directs this, strains a bit of the message in this, maybe trying to over-intellectualize a bit, by making allusions to an antithesis of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. Whether or not that provides too much for analyzing in context against the rest of the movie, this is constantly adventurous, and keeps up pari passu with the action of "Star Wars" and "Return of the Jedi." Of the three previous features, although I am certainly not a diehard fan, my favorites were the simpler, more action-y likes of the first and the third as opposed to the deeper treatment of "Empire Strikes Back," which I still did like too. With a movie series like this, I tend prefer adventure over a deep meditation, so "The Phantom Menace" ranks for me, with the other two, as the best of the series.

The cast is great, though none of their talents are really tapped into. The casting for something like this is probably pretty easy --to see who wants to be involved more than the next person. First of all, being an event movie, the emphasis or attraction has more to do with the event or spectacle-on-hand. So "Episode I's" attraction is hardly to the actors in it. And those talented actors who are in it, are hardly given the proper opportunity to shine as the performers they have proven themselves as, in the past. Unfortunately, because there was always so much going on, there was only minimal timeliness for the characters developments to break the outer shell that was generated around them. I've always enjoyed Natalie Portman's performances. Many might remember her from "The Professional," and while this is hardly her best or most involved role, it definitely will be her biggest compared to her others. The dual-role makes it a little better off, because that means she, as an actress, can be two places at once, but neither of her characters have the dimensionality of Princess Leia yet. Neeson and McGregor don't allow for disappointments, and are just as appealing in big budget epics than a lot of the smaller movies they participate in. (More directed towards the latter, lesser experienced actor.) And even though is obvious as heck, it's hard not to like newcomer Lloyd who leaves an amiable lasting impression, despite our foreknowledge of the destruction he's going to wreak!